Sunset Policy in Email Marketing: The Smart Way to Clean Your List

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

In email marketing, engagement is everything. If your emails land in inboxes but never get opened, you’re not just wasting effort — you’re actively harming your sender reputation. That’s where a sunset policy comes in. A well-executed email sunset policy helps brands maintain high deliverability rates, optimize engagement, and clean up inactive subscribers without unnecessary risk.

What Is a Sunset Policy?

A sunset policy is a strategic approach to managing unengaged email subscribers. It involves gradually reducing email frequency — or completely stopping emails — after a recipient has been inactive for a set period. The goal is to:

• Protect sender reputation
• Improve engagement rates
• Reduce spam complaints
• Lower email marketing costs

This isn’t about cutting people off abruptly. Instead, it’s a structured sunset email flow that allows inactive users to re-engage before they’re removed from regular email lists.

Why You Need an Email Sunset Policy

Without a sunset email policy, your email list accumulates unresponsive contacts, leading to:

• Lower engagement rates – Too many unengaged recipients tell mailbox providers (like Gmail, and Outlook) that your emails aren’t valuable.
• Increased spam complaints – Inactive users may mark your emails as spam if they suddenly receive an influx of messages.
• Deliverability issues – Poor engagement affects your overall inbox placement, meaning even interested users might not see your emails. Find out if your email deliverability is ok with one of the best tools on the market – GlockApps.

A well-planned sunset email flow ensures that you only send emails to those who truly want them, keeping your brand’s sender reputation strong.

How to Implement a Sunset Policy for Email Marketing

A sunset policy isn’t just about deleting contacts. It’s about giving inactive users multiple chances to re-engage before parting ways. Here’s a step-by-step approach:

1. Define Inactivity.

What qualifies as “inactive” depends on your email cadence. Common inactivity benchmarks include:

• No opens or clicks for 3, 6, or 12 months
• No interaction after a certain number of emails (10 consecutive emails)
• No logins or purchases in a set timeframe (for SaaS or e-commerce)

Every brand is different. Define inactivity based on your email performance metrics.

2. Create a Sunset Email Flow.

Once you identify inactive users, don’t immediately remove them — give them a chance to opt back in. A typical sunset email flow includes:

Re-engagement Email – A friendly check-in email like:

• “Still interested? We’d love to hear from you!”
• Offer an incentive (discount, exclusive content) to encourage engagement.

Reminder Email – If no response, send a follow-up with a more urgent message:

• “We noticed you haven’t been opening our emails. Want to stay subscribed?”
• Include a clear CTA (stay subscribed or update preferences).

Final Notice Email – The last chance:

• “This might be goodbye… Unless you want to stick around!”
• Inform them they’ll be unsubscribed soon unless they take action.

3. Sunset the Non-Responders.

If a contact remains unresponsive, move them to a suppression list rather than deleting them outright. This way, they won’t receive marketing emails but remain in your system if they re-engage later (e.g., by making a purchase).

Sunset Email Examples

1. Friendly Check-In Email.

Subject: Still with us? Let’s stay in touch!
Body:

Hey [First Name],

We’ve noticed you haven’t been opening our emails, and we’d hate to lose you! If you’d like to keep receiving updates, click below to confirm. Otherwise, we’ll take a step back.

[Keep Me Subscribed]

2. Last-Chance Sunset Email.

Subject: We’re about to say goodbye… unless?
Body:

Hi [First Name],

It looks like you haven’t been engaging with our emails for a while. We want to respect your inbox, so unless you let us know otherwise, this will be the last email you receive from us.

[Stay Subscribed] | [Unsubscribe]

No hard feelings either way!

Product Sunset Email Template

If you’re sunsetting a specific product or service, use a product sunset email template to inform users about the upcoming change.

Subject: Important: [Product Name] is being retired
Body:

Hi [First Name],

We want to inform you that [Product Name] will no longer be available after [Date]. We appreciate your support and want to ensure a smooth transition.

If you have any questions or need assistance, our team is here to help.

[Learn More]

Thank you for being part of our journey!

Best Practices for an Effective Sunset Policy

1. Segment Your Audience – Not all inactive users should be treated the same. Identify different levels of inactivity and customize your approach.
2. Make It Easy to Opt Back In – Include clear CTAs in your sunset email examples so users can quickly confirm they still want your emails.
3. Respect User Preferences – Instead of cutting people off, offer options like “Receive fewer emails” or “Only send me important updates.”
4. Monitor Results & Adjust – Track how many users re-engage and tweak your email sunset policy as needed.

Final Thoughts

A sunset policy isn’t about losing subscribers—it’s about keeping your email list healthy, engaged, and valuable. By implementing a sunset email flow, you ensure that your emails are welcomed rather than ignored.

Use the right sunset email examples, give people an easy way to re-engage, and don’t be afraid to clean house. Your deliverability (and brand reputation) will thank you. Try sunset policy and check your email deliverability with GlockApps to see the results!

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